News & Updates

#MNCleanPint 2015

By on January 30, 2015in breweries, education

Ladies and gentlemen, fire up your beer glasses and your smartphones and get your hashtags ready! February 1st us upon us and that means you’ll see #MNCleanPint tagged across the social media spectrum.

And what, you ask, is all the fuss about? #MNCleanPint celebrates “beer clean” glassware. Beer clean glassware is free from contaminants, residue and film. You’ll find nice rings of lacing inside your class with “beer clean” glassware.

Petroleum-based cleaner, incorrect chemical dilution and improper washing are the three biggest culprits that lead to that “not so fresh” beer glass. Obviously these contaminants can also lead to off flavors in and aromas in your beer. Mmmm… sanitizer.

It’s hard to believe that I sat down with Joe from JJ Taylor to talk about making #MNCleanPint happen over five years ago, but it’s true. Over the course of those five years, the folks from JJ Taylor have worked with the Cicerone Program, Micromatic, the Better Beer Society, MNBeer.com, Minnesota Beer Activists and A Perfect Pint to help raise awareness and educate beer drinkers about clean glassware.

So empty your glass (You can do that, right?), and show us the lacing on the inside of your glass on your social media platform of choice. Tag your photo with #MNCleanPint, and let us know where you’re throwing down beers. At the end of the month, the establishment with the most mentions will win the title of “Cleanest Pint in Minnesota.”

Prizes? Yessirree! How does this sound… Cicerone training and tests, a $100 bar tab, and a home kegerater kit. Does that work for you? You’ll also have a chance to win glassware and all kinds of other prizes throughout the month.

Get your post on.

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612 Brew Has Nice Cans (And I Have Dumb Puns)

By on January 30, 2015in 612 Brew

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So have you heard the one about the brewery who named their beer “Rated R” (for rye), only to find that the MPAA wasn’t crazy about it and filed a cease and desist? Indeed (no, not them) it’s true for 612 Brew.

That, however, isn’t what this piece is about. No siree. Instead, let’s talk about some cans. Our friends at 612 Brew are on the verge of releasing some beers in 12 oz. cans with some beautiful artwork from none other than Adam Turman.

We cornered 612 Brew‘s Robert Kasak at the donut shop and begged him for the inside track on canned beer at the brewery. Here’s what he had to say.

Cans?
Yes – we received the canning line 2 weeks ago from Wild Goose in Colorado and the cans last week.

…and when can we get said cans?
You can find 612Brew in cans on shelves stating February 16.

Why cans?
Since we began writing the business plan, cans have always been in the works. We only had a finite amount of money to spend when we started the brewery so we could either focus on building a world class taproom or build a canning line. We opted for the former. We chose cans because we think the packaging is best suited for the lifestyles of us and our beer drinkers. We love drinking cans of beer at the beach, on the golf course or simply at the back yard get together. The light weight packaging and recyclability are great for taking the beers with you up to the cabin, and of course bringing them back home to recycle them. Lastly, in our opinion, cans provide a better package for our beer and the shelf life of the beer. All 612Brew is unfiltered and unpasteurized therefore we need to have our beer in a light free package. Cans are truly the best option for that.

Nice work. We can’t wait to pop one or four of these open!

Summit Hopvale Organic Ale

By on January 29, 2015in Summit Brewing Co.

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Mark your calendars for April… today Summit announced a new year-round certified organic ale, Hopvale Organic Ale. They’re referring to it as a hoppy sessionable ale (4.7% abv) breed with organic malts, hops and lemon peel. They have my attention! According to Summit, this will be their first year-round beer available exclusively in four-pack 16 oz. cans and on draft.

Summit’s last venture into organic ale cane via brewer Gabe Smoley’s Unchained 12: 100% Organic Ale back in 2013.

More details forthcoming!

Day Block Brewing 1 Year Anniversary Starts Today

By on January 23, 2015in beer events, Day Block Brewing

dayblockDay Block Brewing Co. is turning 1 and they’re not f#%&ing around! They’ve planned five days of festivities with beer releases, prizes, music, bacon flights, pickle flights, Hot Scotchies and more.

Beer releases: Coffee Porter, Black IPA, Imperial Stouts and Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Rye, Mocha Stout American Oak Aged Imperial Stout, French Oak Aged Imperial Stout and Hungarian Oak Aged Imperial Stout. (See event info for release schedule.)

Weekend of Giveaways: Chances to win 6 pack of Growlers, Gift Cards, Bacon Raffles, Brewer for a Day (You can choose Paul or Dan). Visit Day Block any time during our anniversary and receive a raffle entry with every beer purchased!

Full details: https://www.dayblockbrewing.com/events/1st-anniversary-party

Leech Lake Brewing is Closing

By on January 16, 2015in breweries
Courtesy of Leech Lake Brewing's Facebook page.

Courtesy of Leech Lake Brewing’s Facebook page.

Sad news from the Walker, Minnesota area. According to their Facebook page, Leech Lake Brewing Company wasn’t able to get the investors needed to expand the brewery, so they’ve decided to liquidate.

As you’ve no-doubt assumed, the $1000 limitless growler offer didn’t meet with enough… exuberance… to be adopted. So, LLBC’s assets are being liquidated, and the brewery will close once the last ounce of beer is poured from the taproom. The existing inventory will continue to be bottled and sold to liquor stores while it lasts, but I will no longer supply to draft accounts.

To those of you who expressed interest in the limitless growler offer, thank you very much! Your support for LLBC is appreciated more than you know. Sorry I couldn’t “brew up” more participation. Cheers, and take care…

We wish Greg the best in his future endeavors. Though craft beer continues to grow, Leech Lake’s closing is a reminder that a brewery is a business and a challenging one at that. It’s been said that the best way to make a small fortune in the brewing industry is to start with a large one… and with the success and growth in the industry, sometimes we look at things with amber-colored glasses.

Inevitably, some breweries in Minnesota will not succeed. We consider brewery folks to be friends, so it’s while it’s no fun to see them take a hit, the fact remains that as a business owner, the odds are against you. Stay strong brewery friends. We’re here for you.